The Other Side
by Pumpkinbam
Summary: Set after the events of the film  San misses Ashitaka and decides to leave the forest for a while to visit him in Iron Town. Trouble brews and evilness  sort of  enters the big picture. That's all I've got so far...
1. Memories of San

**Hey ya'll! My attempt at making a "Princess Mononoke" fanfiction. The film is a masterpiece. I loved it the first time I saw it. To those of you who haven't seen it yet, I strongly recommend that you watch the film. It's amazing.**

**Apologies for any errors in spelling or grammer. I'm a terrible speller.**

**I do not own "Princess Mononoke". It belongs to a Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. This piece of writing is just fan fiction that I wrote.**

**Enjoy yourselves people.**

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><p><strong>The Other Side<strong>

**Chapter 1 – Memories of San**

The moon's reflection shone with astonishing radiance on the surface of the lake, deep in the heart of the dark forest. Silence covered the idle pool of water while Kodamas walloped around the rocks and trees, not making a sound.

There, sitting on top of the largest (and probably most comfortable-looking) rock was San, daughter of the deceased Wolf God, Moro, and known by local human folk as "Princess Mononoke". She too, sat there in silence, deep in thought, pondering the past events that had taken place a few months ago…

_*Flashback*_

_Sunlight engulfed the land of the West, which had once displayed a scene of destruction, now revealed fertile pasture with grassy plains where many wildflowers flourished. Finally, after suffering years of hatred, pain and coldness, the devastating war between humans and the spirits of the forest came to an end. The balance has been restored._

_After their successful efforts in the hard-fought war, a wolf-girl and a young prince farewell each other before they depart. San gave the young prince a warm smile, "Ashitaka, you mean so much to me," she began. Suddenly, the girl's gaze slowly drifted towards the ground, her eyes turning as cold and hard as ice. "But I can never forgive the humans for what they did to the forest," she explained to him._

_Ashitaka nodded understandably, he was hoping that San would come to Iron town with him and be amongst her own kind, after all, she was in fact, a human just like himself. "I understand San," he responded, sadness tinged in his voice. "You've got to go back to the forest and I've got to help rebuild Iron town. I promise I'll visit you again someday."_

_This gave them hope and when the sun settled, the two went off their separate ways. Both sure of what they had to do yet unsure of when they'll ever see each other again._

_*End of Flashback*_

San frowned, remembering the promise that Ashitaka said he would keep and yet, after all this time, he had yet to fulfil his promise.

From a distance, one of the girl's wolf siblings was watching her mind wandered around in her own thoughts. Carefully and ever so quietly, the wolf walked over the rocks and sat down next to her sister, giving her a playful nuzzle.

Laughing softly, San patted her sibling on the head and scratched her chin lightly, "Thanks but I'm fine really," San told her. She was grateful for having them; living in the forest without her family would be very lonely, especially after their mother's death.

San's heart ached just by thinking of those painful memories; watching her own mother dying right in front of her eyes yet she could do nothing but to accept the truth that Moro herself, knew that her time was coming soon after that bullet hit her.

Tears started to form around her eyes which were quickly wiped away. She recalled, yet another memory. Moro had told her about what Ashitaka said before he left the forest while the war was still going on. Her mother told her that he wanted to share his life with her.

"Go," her wolf sibling said suddenly.

San stared in shock upon hearing this. "Should I?" she asked eying the wolf with confusion. Would her brothers and sisters be able to manage without her? What about the forest? The thoughts swirled in her mind, making her slightly dizzy. San began to reconsider her want to see Ashitaka and how he was doing.

"We can take care of ourselves," the wolf looked at San with understanding eyes, "Go and visit your friend."

Out of joy, the girl leaped up and tackled her wolf-sister. The two youngsters wrestled playfully and laughed at themselves. "I won't be too long. If you ever need me give me a howl," San whispered to her sister while caressing the smooth white fur of the young wolf. After thanking her wolf-sibling for understanding, San immediately took off, running as fast as her feet could carry her. The citizens of Iron town would've hit the sacks by now.

From the day San was taken in by Moro, she was taught everything there was to being a wolf. After years and years of practice, she was able to sprint for miles without stopping, hunting became second nature for her and she knew very well the key rules of survival. Her teeth became strong and sharp, capable of eating tough pieces of meat without them shattering into a million pieces. She was your typical lupine-child of the great forest.

Her face lit up when she saw the narrow empty clearing between two large trees. It was her way out of the forest. Running at full-speed, the wolf-girl's smile widened as she got closer and closer to the human she was seeking for. 'Ashitaka…' she thought to herself with determined eyes, 'I will find you.

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><p><strong>Apologies for San if she sounded a bit out of character.<strong>

**It was awful, wasn't it? Yes? No? Maybe? Tell me!**

**Reviews would be greatly appreciated. Ideas, thoughts, I would love to hear your voice.**

**Thanks for reading. It meant a lot. Thank you.**


	2. Welcome to the New Iron Town

**Here's the 2nd Chapter.**

**Once again, enjoy yourselves people.**

**Review! Review! Review! Please?**

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><p><strong>The Other Side<strong>

**Chapter 2 – Welcome to the New Iron Town**

San was now only a few metres away from reaching the opening. Her heart raced, 'Nearly there! Nearly there! Nearly the-'. BAM! The tall giant metal fence of the town had collided with her and down she fell with a thud on the dry dirt. "Ughh… I see that boy's made changes," she groaned, rubbing her aching forehead and looking up at the marvellous grey structure in front of her, "Really big changes."

Despite her temporary agony of slamming into the hard metal fence, San was on her feet in no time and steadied herself. Living in the forest had given her remarkable resistance to pain and a much faster healing rate than the average human. With wolf-like instinct, she leaped upwards and tried in vain to grip herself onto the fence. Unfortunately for her, the shiny surface was extremely slippery, so down she slid from the great height, landing on her feet, knees bent, absorbing the impact of the fall.

'This fence…' she eyed the structure up and down, examining its height,'…it's too high for me to climb.' Sighing in defeat, the girl thought desperately for another way to infiltrate the town. Finally, an idea hit her. Glancing to her left, in the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the town's drawbridge over a body of water. It welcomed a herd of bumbling cattle transporting wooden carriages loaded with sacks full of rice. A huge smile slowly crept onto San's face; she had a plan, and a devious one. A sea of low moos echoed throughout the sleepy town of Iron Town. The tireless herd moved in unison with the unbearably slow-moving traffic.

From the highest watchtower, she stood; dressed in black and dark blue robes with a large straw hat on her head. She was observing the transmission going on at the drawbridge. Behind her was another woman, younger than herself, dressed in pink robes. "Ughh, useless pigs! At this rate, the entire population of Iron Town will suffer from not only starvation but from disturbance as well," the woman groaned, frustration evident in her tone of voice.

The one in black robes just looked at her with a calm expression, tolerating her younger female companion. "Patience, Toki, complaining will get us nowhere", she said, smiling at the pink robed female.

Feeling her lady's gaze on her, Toki let out a heavy sigh, "You're right milady," she formally bowed, "I apologize for my impulsivity."

"It's understandable," Lady Eboshi glanced back down to the scenario below, "Due to the apparent circumstances that we are facing." She looked back at the pink robed woman, "Toki, gather some of the women to assist the men in transporting the rice."

"Yes, of course milady," she replied with enthusiasm. With that, Toki set off, not wanting to disappoint her ladyship.

_***San's Point of View***_

'That woman didn't see me,' I thought with relief. Luckily, I had managed to sneakily aboard one of the rice carts, smartly disguised inside a sack of rice. Cautiously, I peeked out of my little safety sack and looked straight ahead as the cart moved slowly towards Iron Town. There was fire burning in my eyes. Oh how I despise that damned woman, Lady Eboshi, founder and successor of Iron Town. Many a good deed she may have done; helping outcasts and misfits live freely including even lepers and brothel girls.

Lady Eboshi was the reason that my mother was gone. She took her away from me, it was her fault. My mother was able to avenge her by biting her arm off. Anger, hatred, pain and suffering began to cloud my mind. Lady Eboshi was a monster to her. Although the war had ended a while ago, I will never forget her brutal acts; almost destroying the great forest, turning Okkoto into a demon, killing both her mother and the forest spirit. Still, I haven't forgiven her for what she had done; I didn't know how I could. Shaking my head, I brushed off these venomous thoughts out of my head so that I could concentrate on accomplishing what I came here for in the first place; finding Ashitaka.

Filthy, the air was full of filth. The entire town was completely drowned in smoke and ash. Dirty human trash; they disgusted me. 'Well, what else would one expect from "Iron" Town?' I chuckled silently to myself, amused at my rhetorical question.

As the rice cart finally entered the town gates, my eyes immediately went wide with astonishment and awe at the new and improved Iron Town. The town looked differently from when I last came to this place; my intentions back then were to kill Lady Eboshi, which failed after we were both knocked out stone cold by Ashitaka. Now, I just couldn't bother to carry out any more slaughtering, not after that long war.

Infrastructure had obviously improved, instead of tents, houses were built using dark red timber which looks like it came from the trees just north-west of Iron Town; they seemed to be of very high quality. Another noticeable change was the population. More people (ick, more human-trash) thrived in the new and improved Iron Town, now there were not only men and women but also children too (though not many). I eyed the rest of the town until I caught sight of it, the Ironworks; the very foundation and heart of the entire town itself. From here, it looked like a giant box of metal with tubes allowing smoke and ash to escape from it. Behind those walls were fire, sweat and heat. To think that Ashitaka helped in the re-birth of this place was unbelievable.

Thud! The rice cart came to a sudden halt at the end of a lonely path which lead to an enormous store house. It was my cue to leave before the townsmen find her. I jumped off the side of the rice cart, making the cows moo in delight as the extra weight had been taken off.

Stealthily, there I was, running around Iron Town with a rice sack over my head. Panic enthralled me. I desperately tried my best to calm my nerves down. Few citizens passed by this part of the town so nobody noticed me; the walking sack of rice. Rushing over behind a stack of empty barrels, I took off the grungy rice sack and almost gagged at the rusty stench. 'I must be close to the Ironworks,' I thought coughing.

Before I set off, I decided to give myself a self-inspection. I had a reputation around her and I didn't want to expose my true identity just yet. By the time I was finished with my self-inspection, I had wiped off the red marks on my cheeks and removed my matching blue headband and armbands; I resembled a peasant girl from the countryside. Seriously, the town's a maze, I felt like an ant amongst the humans who thankfully ignored me, to my relief.

After what seemed like hours of wandering around in circles, I spotted the Ironworks. Without hesitation and full of determination, I marched right up to the large door. 'I'm one step closer to you, Ashitaka,' I knocked on the door and held my breath as I waited for a reply. Hearing footsteps inside, I braced myself for confrontation with one of those abominable humans.

The door flew open, revealing a tiny little girl with short ebony hair and cocoa eyes, wearing orange robes. "Welcome to Iron Town," she gave me a small smile.

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><p><strong>Reviews please! Feedback welcome!<strong>


	3. Hoshi's Your Host

**Ughh, this took forever to type up yet it's so annoyingly short.**

**Curse my slowness and stupidity. **

***clears throat***

**Sorry about that. Please. Enjoy yourselves.**

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><p><strong>The Other Side<strong>

**Chapter 3 – Hoshi's Your Host**

"Umm…" I gulped, it was the first time I've been nervous this whole day. Cursing inwardly at my weakness, I managed a simple, "Hello". Get your act together coward! You're a wolf – show no fear! The girl didn't seem to mind though, in fact, her smile grew a little wider.

"I am "Hoshi" which means "Star,"" she giggled. "You got a name?" she asked with interest.

"San," I answered with ease. That's when I gasped. My hands immediately clasped around my mouth at the sudden realization that I had just given myself away to this perky little child. To my surprise, the one named "Hoshi", didn't seem startled.

"San? That's a nice name," she complimented.

Shrugging, I figured that the townsfolk around here only knew me by that infamous title, "Princess Mononoke"; wolf-princess of the great forest. To them; I was a demon. What they didn't know was that there's already a demon in this town and it's not Ashitaka.

"Well," Hoshi started to tap her fingers in a significant rhythm on the side of the door like a child, "What'd you come here for?" she questioned, "State your business for being here."

My mind had been set straight and I turned serious with my "task". "Of course," I cleared my throat so that I could speak properly, "I was wondering, do you know where I could find a boy?" I sounded hopeful; this close to achieving my goal.

"A boy? You say?" she wondered out loud. "This town's full of them," came her response, "There's a bunch of them lying around at the corner of that house over there."

Hoshi pointed to a group of scraggly-looking male humans laughing manically for a reason that I knew not of. Each of them were gorging down some kind of transparent fluid. Noticing that Hoshi and I were watching their little freak show, they suddenly had this hungry look in their eyes as if we were a piece of meat making me cringe. They continued their laughter which grew louder by the minute.

"No," I shook my head and my arms made a disapproving gesture. "I'm looking for a certain boy," I explained to her, trying to get some answers.

"Why didn't you say so ma'am?" from the sound of her voice, I could tell that she was about to lose her patience with me. "Does this boy of yours have a name?" was her question.

"Ashitaka?" I answered. I had just made a sudden realization; it was the first time I'd notice that the first three letters of his name had the word "Ash" in it. I chuckled to myself; I guess he was born to work in Iron Town since it's full of "Ash" here.

Weirdly enough, the girl flustered and started to giggle uncontrollably which made the passing townsfolk have confused looks on their faces. 'Mind your own businesses filthy humans!' I wanted to yell in their distorted faces but I just growled and snarled at them, that's what a wolf would do.

"You mean that banished prince from an isolated village in the mountains who rides on a valiant deer by the name of "Yakul"?" she sang in a happy high-pitched voice, causing me to shudder. This girl's adorable – adorably creepy and terrifyingly intelligent.

"That's definitely him," my words came out muffled, still uneasy from the little girl's funny behaviour.

Suddenly and without warning, her expression changed dramatically. One minute she had been oddly energetic, now her expression was that of seriousness. I guess she was attempting to control her "inner-excitement".

In an almost metallic voice, she told me sternly, "Ashitaka-san cannot see you at the moment." Those hard narrowing eyes on her pretty doll-like face came to me as a threat.

"Just why not?" my expression reflecting hers. Now we were both staring at one another; fixated with making the other one burn into flames just by looking at them intently. Surrendering all of a sudden, the girl put on a cheery face once again.

"He cannot see you because he's out north-west of here, collecting timber for building houses," she explained melodiously as if she was humming a ballad.

Blinking in confusion, all I could say was, "Okay."

Giggling once again in that scary manner of hers, Hoshi opened the door wider. "Come inside," she offered, motioning for me to enter so I did.

Just as I'd suspected, yup, I was right all along. Sure, this town's one of a kind and better than most towns here in the West. Here comes the downside; this place reeks. My throat felt itchy as a cloud of smoke puffed right onto my face. I began to wheeze uncontrollably. 'I would've preferred mining towns, fishing towns would've been much cleaner,' I thought with a disgusted face, 'Then again, I still dread all human activities as much as the humans themselves.' Hoshi noticed me in distress and turned to look up at me with a raised eyebrow. Putting on a sheepish smile, I tried to look as innocent as I possibly could.

"What? You've never been to a workshop before?" she asked loudly over the noisy machinery in disbelief.

I nodded my head violently; right now I wished my head was stuck in the sky longing for fresh air. Oh how I envied those cows standing outside in the clean air, mocking me with their drowning mooing sound. Out of nowhere, a heavy cloth with some kind of material sticking out was flung at me. In a quick lunge forward, I caught it in my arms. My eyebrows rose questioningly at an annoyed-looking Hoshi.

"It's a mask," she told me, pointing to the object I held in my hands. Sighing with irritation, Hoshi made a gesture with her hands around her mouth, "You put it around your mouth and head so you won't get intoxicated by the residue in the air," she explained, still yelling. One look at the funny-looking contraption in my hands and I thought I'd vomit. Ughh, it was hideous just like those humans who crafted them. On the other hand, if I die of asphyxiation, I would never be able to see Ashitaka or my family ever again.

Thinking that it was better to be safe than sorry and it wasn't my time to nuzzle my mother in "happiness" yet, I hesitantly put on the mask. Trust me; it was as uncomfortable as it looked. 'Look on the bright side San,' I thought to myself; trying to be positive, 'This mask would come in handy.'

After adjusting the mask around my face in a (sort of) comfortable position, I followed Hoshi down into a narrow corridor. Doors were one either side of me; writing on the front of each of them. Hoshi stopped in front of a door at the end of the long corridor… of doors.

"Wait here for a second," she instructed before entering the room.

Since I was raised by wolves, I had the tendency of being super-curious. When I heard grunting sounds and loud bumps coming from a room next to Hoshi's, it took all the will power that I had to stop myself from bursting into that room and yell, 'What's going on in here!'. Luckily, Hoshi came out of her room before I got the chance to even take a step.

"Alright, come inside San!" she said in her cheery voice. Following the child who skipped like a pony, I entered her little home. "Well," she spread her arms out wide, "What do you think?" she was obviously referring to her room.

Timber covered the ceiling, walls and floor, a lit lamp ablaze in one corner of the room, a fancily decorated box sat on top of a low-lying table with two pieces of rectangular white cloths; blankets on either side.

"Seems like a cosy place," I nodded, agreeing with my statement.

Yawning sleepily with outstretched arms, Hoshi plopped herself onto one of the rectangular white clothes and pulled a blanket over her body, snuggling up under the blanket and enjoying the warm of the soft covers. Her eyes closed slowly for a while then flew open again.

Turning her head to face me while underneath the blankets, she called me over, "San! Sleep next to me!"

Obeying Hoshi's order, I tip-toed my way over to the spot next to her and laid myself down under the blankets. Oh, wow! I felt like I was lying right next to my brothers and sisters back in the forest, feeling the softness of their fur. Loud snores came from behind me; Hoshi must've dozed off already.

She's a nice kid, like Ashitaka. Thinking of him often makes me think twice about those vile humans. Yet, in the end, it would always be the same old answer; they would always be dirty, rotten, icky, smelly, stupid, awful… ugly… nasty… murderous… hu-mans. Zzz… That's when my eyes instantly shut and I was off to dreamland.

**_*End of San's Point of View*_**

The chirping of crickets can be heard outside amongst the glistening lights of the glowing fireflies; performing the opus of the night. Deep inside the mighty Ironworks, a little girl rose silently from her slumber. Looking to the side to check on her sleeping companion, a devilish grin made its way onto her face. Out of the door, through the long winding corridor and finally out of the Ironworks she took off.

Running swiftly yet carefully to make as little noise as possible. The girl reached her destination; an enclosed wooden building that led to a garden off-limits to all of the townspeople except for a select few, such as herself. Striding over to the tiny cottage at the end of the garden, she burst through the door and took a few steps inside before stopping behind a seated figure with her back turned. They stayed that way in silence until the woman spoke.

"Princess Mononoke's back isn't she?"

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><p><strong>Getting better? Worse?<strong>

**Give me your opinions. Yes, give it to me!**

**Oops, I almost forgot. Pretty please?**

**Thanks a million for reading this far! Thank you!**


	4. Promises Made

**Firstly, I'd like to give a big thank you to RyuuSeika who is the first to review. Thank you so much for your inspiration.**

**Here you have it. It's kind of longer than the first three.**

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><p><strong>The Other Side<strong>

**Chapter 4 - Promises Made**

Somewhere in the forests north-west of Iron Town, townsmen were panting and sweating. Heave-ho and away they go. It was not because they were carrying out the "deed". They were working tirelessly through the dark of the night; chopping down trees using sturdy axes as their tools. Three big muscular men, who were covered in sweat, banged their axes against the thick red wood of the trees; wood used for timber and timber used to build the infrastructures of Iron Town.

"Give it your all men!" an old man shouted, urging the already breathless men to go on, "These trees are no match for the men of Iron Town."

"Jigo," the man spun around upon hearing his name. He came to face a young man in dressed in blue and white. "I apologize for interrupting you but don't you believe that actions speak louder than words?" He grinned after saying his "words of wisdom", receiving a friendly whack on the head causing him to let out a small "Oww..."

Jigo chuckled to himself, amused by the boy's wit, "Boy, you're a wise one Ashitaka."

Ashitaka smiled with pride and gave Jigo a smug response "You can say that again."

Threateningly, Jigo glared at the proud young fellow before him, "I'm serious boy." He pointed up to the moon which was full tonight like a floating ball of rice in the night sky, "We've only got a few hours till the sun comes up so you best be getting back to work with the others."

Following authority and not wanting to waste anymore time, Ashitaka picked up his axe and sighed as he walked away from Jigo.

'He truly is a smart kid,' Jigo smiled as he watched Ashitaka walk over to Yakul, his beloved elk. 'What a shame he was banished by his own tribe.' Overhearing an argument stir up between two buff men arguing over who owned a shiny versatile-looking axe, the old man snapped out of his thoughts and rushed over to deal with the problem.

_***Ashitaka's Point of View***_

Once again, I was defeated by Jigo. Thinks he's in charge of everything. When I was prince, I had that role. I decided it was best to obey his orders anyway; I wasn't in the mood to have a full-on debate with him at this late hour. Furthermore, I knew what I had to do and that was to... chop down trees.

Before I got started, I headed over to Yakul, my ever-faithful elk, who gave me a sleepy look. 'Poor Yakul' I thought looking at him sadly. He was such a loyal friend who would never leave my side no matter what, even if it means refusing to sleep knowing that I was still awake; he would stay awake too. I patted his furry white neck, trying to comfort him. His reaction was nudging his head against my chest as if pleading that I'd call it a night and lie down to rest.

My eyes tightened, wishing that I could but I knew that it wouldn't be fair to the others, "Hang in there, Yakul." I reassured him by saying, "Not long now."

When I was sure that Yakul was settled, I went straight back to work finding a group that needed help. While I was swinging my axe around, my mind drifted back to the past. Not so long ago, just before I got involved in the war between the humans and the spirits of the forest, I was the prince of my tribe. I rightfully owned the role of leader; it was me who kept the spirit of my long-forgotten tribesmen alive.

Everything was different now, all that has changed. All that was dear to me, it was left behind. What ever became of my beloved sister, Kaya, I will never know because I was unable to watch her grow. That night before I left, she gave me her most valued possession; a highly rare blue crystal dagger necklace.

The dagger! It didn't belong to me anymore because I gave it to San just before she lead Okkoto during the war. That promise I made to her before we went our separate ways. I froze when I realized that I hadn't kept my promise to her.

"Timber!" Once I heard Jigo's shout, it was just in time for me to look up. As soon as I saw the tree slowly falling, I darted away from where I was standing and out of the tree's landing. Next thing I knew, Jigo marched up to me looking enraged.

"What's the matter with you, boy? You could've been flattened like a pancake!" he fumed at me.

"Nothing, I'm tired, that's all," I said weakly trying to avoid eye-contact with him; still feeling upset with myself.

He shook his head and rubbed his temples as if he were having a headache. "We're all dying here, you think I don't know that?" he rhetorically asked, gesturing to the other workers watched the scolding I was receiving, "You're doing fine, be strong."

He gave me one last look before turning to order the others to continue their work, saying that there was nothing more to see. Bowing my head in shame, I shuffled back to another tree and started swinging my axe in the air, digging its sharp versatile blade into the tree's thick red bark. Trying to get rid of the regret inside of me, I swung the axe hard. From the corner of my eye, I took a glimpse of a wide-eyed Jigo with his mouth hanging, obviously shocked at my sudden enthusiasm.

Tiny bits of bark flew into air in all directions as if gunshots were being fired at this poor withering tree. For all I know, I was soon to be known as "Ashitaka, the axe-yielding maniac," which was nowhere near my former royal title as "Prince". I guess we've both got infamous titles now, San.

'How could you keep her waiting so long after everything she's done for you,' I thought as I held the axe high. 'Ashitaka, you're one big fool,' with that thought, I swung the axe down with all my might. Crack! Okay, you really are a fool now, Ashitaka. Doing that wasn't a good idea. My teeth gritted as the pain seeped up from my hand all the way up to my arm.

Immediately, I dropped the axe to one side and cupped my other hand around the aching one; attempting to relieve the self-inflicted blow. I was on my knees, trying to calm my fury down. Rage and hatred wouldn't fix anything so as I was recovering, I thought of a way I would explain myself to San.

My head jerked up as I sensed someone's presence behind me. Turning, I looked up to see the face of Kohroku, Toki's husband and one of the men he saved during the war. "Is a demon eating you again, Ashitaka?" he asked jokingly, stepping forward.

I held up my hand to his face in an attempt to shoo him away. "No, Kohroku, I'm fine," I said with a hint of irritation. The moment I felt that I could move my fingers without flinching, I got up, picked up my axe and started walking over towards the worn out tree that I'd disembowelled. This time I swung the axe cautiously, not wanting to break anything this time.

Kohroku stayed behind, "What?" I asked with my back turned to him.

"Ashitaka, you helped me once," he stopped to make sure I was listening, "Now it's my turn to help you."

Without warning, he snatched the axe out of my hands and tossed it aside, far from within my reach. Giving in, I sighed and said, "I made a promise to a girl, a very good friend of mine." He nodded and gave an understanding, "Yup, go on."

So I continued my explanation, "I promised that I'd visit her again but-."

"But you got too caught up with rebuilding Iron Town that you weren't able to keep your promise to visit her and her pack of wolves in the forest," he finished, smiling knowingly who and what I was talking about. "Not too late to keep your promise, you know?" He turned to leave, "She may be closer than you think." I was caught by surprise when he uttered that last sentence, "Kohroku what do you me-?" He was gone by the time I had turned around.

San, I'm going to make one more promise to you. We will meet again and this time I'll promise you that, if that makes sense? I suddenly felt a sense of empowerment and was ready to get back to work. Knowing that I was able to fix things that I've messed up gave me the motivation. San, wait for a little longer because when I'm done, you won't have to wait for me any longer. Even if you've somehow forgotten about me, I will never forget about you.

However, before I could tear a scrap of bark off a tree, Jigo appeared before me, ordering me to stop. "Do you want me to work or not?" I asked angrily, if the curse from the demon was still on me, I would've involuntarily sliced him in half.

"No," he sounded equally as annoyed as I was. In his hand was a scroll which he unrolled and started to read aloud, "Ashitaka is to come back to Iron Town immediately, orders from Lady Eboshi herself."

Alright, now I was completely unaware of the current situation. Wanting to know more, I ushered him to continue. "Wolf girl's in Iron Town, looking for you," he finished. My heart leapt when he mentioned the word "wolf". San was in town, looking for me? It couldn't possibly be true.

"Jigo, you're a lying Pinocchio!" I accused.

"Believe me, it's all true," he showed me the scroll, pointing to a familiar looking signature, "Signed by Lady Eboshi herself and she expects you back immediately so if I were you, I'd leave right away." After consulting the message with me, he returned his attention back to the rest of the workers who looked enviously at me, since I didn't have to work for the rest of the night.

Not wanting to waste a single minute in this giant foul-smelling sauna of sweat, I gathered up my equipment and set off to Iron on Yakul, who seemed to be pretty excited to see San again that he was suddenly wide awake and ran like the wind. It amazed me how San had a remarkable effect on animals.

The north-western forest was not far off from the town so we arrived there several minutes later. The drawbridge was already opened for us to enter. Lady Eboshi stood at the entrance, expecting me. I got off Yakul and walked over to meet her, "Where is she?" I questioned, carefully eying her for signs indicating that she was lying, I found none.

"You don't trust me, Ashitaka?" she sounded hurt, only smiling afterwards, amused. I snarled, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Very well then," she said unsmiling. "Your little friend is staying in the Ironworks".

Just then, a tiny figure stepped out from behind Lady Eboshi. My eyes went wide in alarm when I recognized who that figure was. There was no mistaking that ebony hair, cocoa eyes and *shudder* that scary trademark giggle.

"Hoshi will escort you, I'll be in my garden if you need me," she left without another word, leaving only me and Hoshi left, standing there alone. Cautiously, I looked at Hoshi, who was still smiling ever-so-perkily.

"Lead the way," I spoke up, breaking the silence between us.

"Yes sir! Right away!" she responded loudly.

She took off, running speedily, still smiling while I followed after her. Once we reached the Ironworks, I searched for my mask which I couldn't seem to find.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Hoshi asked, holding up an ash-smothered mask.

Thanking her, I put on the mask. Something was different. Although I couldn't smell the Ironworks underneath this mask, I was able to sniff something funny.

"Hoshi-chan? Did a dog use my mask?" I asked, "It smells of fresh meat."

She gave me weird look. "You're very funny, Ashitaka-san," she laughed and gave me a playful punch, "No! There was no dog at all silly!"

'What a strange girl,' I thought as I followed her down the long corridor, 'Smart though.'

We stopped when we reached the end of the corridor where there was a single room on its own, away from the opposite facing rooms on either side of the corridor.

Clapping and stretching her arms in a theatrical fashion, she proudly introduced me to her home, "Welcome to Hoshi's Hideout of Happiness!" She curtseyed then looked up at me grinning. I looked at her with a raised eyebrow, trying to bring her back to reality and get serious.

Rolling her eyes, she forced a small smile on her face and stepped out of the door's way, allowing me to enter her home. Before I could touch the door handle, her hand whipped out to stop me, "Look, but don't touch," she warned, eying me with a stern look. I nodded knowing exactly what she meant.

With that confirmation, she pulled her arm out of the way and back to her side. Slowly, I opened the door only slightly, just enough to see her and would you believe it? There she was. Lying underneath the blanket, eyes closed and snoring loudly with saliva sliding down her mouth, was San. So wolf-like. She really believed that she was a wolf.

Still as beautiful as the first time I saw her. I sighed heavily, once again feeling a pang of guilt in my heart. I couldn't tell San how sorry I was for waiting this long that she would come for me herself. Truly, she was a great friend like Yakul. Amazing, how someone like her, with a strong hatred for humans, would go all this way just to visit me, a human. I guess she really meant what she said before we went our separate ways; that I really meant a lot to her, just as much as she meant to me.

Accidentally, the door made a loud creak when I leaned on it slightly. I looked on nervously at San, afraid that she would awake from the noise. Miraculously, she continued to snore loudly to my relief. It was best not to interrupt a "wolf" when it's sleeping. I took one last look at her before I closed the door silently, allowing her to rest.

As soon as the door shut, Hoshi tackled me from behind, causing me to stagger and nearly catching me off-balance. "Ashitaka-san! You didn't try anything! I'm so proud of you!" she whispered cheerily.

I flushed deep crimson at her remark; this child was certainly precocious in terms of intelligence. "I wasn't even thinking of doing anything in the first place," I muttered in embarrassment.

She gave me a huge hug. "Ashitaka, you're a true gentleman," she said sincerely, "I mean it". She smiled once again but this time it was purely genuine.

No matter how odd she was, I couldn't help but return a smile back at the little child, "Thanks Hoshi, you're a true genius." She giggled her signature giggle then leaped down from me to walk on her own. We both fell silent as we made our way out of the Ironworks.

"You mean a lot to her," she murmured, staring at the ground, "And she means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I guess she sure does."

***End of Ashitaka's Point of View***

Back in the snug little room, the eyes of the wolf-girl flew open, reflecting on who had just entered and left her presence. Only one name was on her mind as she was engulfed in darkness, 'Ashitaka...'

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><p><strong>Sorry if it's taking long. I'm looking for inspiration and critique would be nice... I have a lot to learn.<strong>


	5. We Meet Again

**Hello again. Thank you for making it this far in the story.**

**I'm greatly thankful for those of you who've been reading it and reviews would be greatly appreciated...**

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><p><strong>The Other Side<strong>

**Chapter 5 - We Meet Again**

_***San's Point of View***_

My eyes immediately flew open only to be greeted by the loud sound of quarrying wild birds and the dim rays of sunlight on my face. The sun has risen clicking my inner-wolf instincts as a signal that it was time for action. Before I could get up, a thought flew inside my mind.

Ashitaka was here last night and he apologized to me while I was asleep. Well, at least he thought I was sleeping. Of course, I was wide awake and caught every single word he had said without him knowing it. I may be a wolf but I can be just as crafty and cunning as a fox can.

With outstretched arms, I slowly got up and out of the soft white sheets, letting out a yawn which showed off my sharp canine fangs, my eyes began to scan the tiny room looking for a certain little girl. I found no sign of her inside then began to wonder where she was. Wanting to look for her, I headed straight towards the door only to stop and think about what I was going to do.

'I hardly know my way around town,' I thought with doubt about wandering on my own just to find her, 'I hate closed spaces anyway.' Without further a do, I let my feet drag me out of the room and march right out of the long corridor.

Unfortunately, the moment I stepped out of the corridor opening, my heart froze as I had just made a sudden realization.

'Damn, where's that mask?' I thought cursing myself for being forgetful.

Soon enough the smoke clouds of filthy human-caused waste would devour me alive. To my surprise, a hand grabbed my arm with force and I was sent staggering down only to come face-to-face with a smiling Hoshi.

"Good Morning San!" she greeted with cheer as usual. "Here's your mask," she handed me the same mask she let me borrow last night.

After graciously thanking her for saving my lungs, I put the mask on without hesitation. I sighed in relief, glad that my mouth was protected from the bad air. Something was weird about the mask though, it didn't smell wolf-like anymore. No, instead it smelt of human. Upon realization, my hands reached for the mask, about to take it off until Hoshi elbowed me hard against my side.

"Bad dog! Keep your mask on!" she commanded.

I winced, nodding my head obediently. She gave me a smile before moving with me following after her. This human girl-child certainly had a strong sense of superiority, it was an ongoing annoyance. I admire her for her bravery though; no human would dare stand up against me. No human except-

Hoshi came to a halt all of a sudden in front of the entrance of the Ironworks and stood as still as a stilt. Curiosity was sparking up inside me once again after the "behind-the-door" incident last night which I was able to restrain myself in. Not wanting to infuriate the human girl-child, I decided to wait for her to do something, move at least.

It was no use, my head was about to burst after a few seconds, my wolf-ness got the better of me and I began to yell at her, "HOSHI, what in the world are we waiting fo-?"

Just before I could finish my sentence, Hoshi turned to me with a smile that looked genuine, surprising me. Stepping aside from the entrance, I stood there alone until the door slowly began to open. I raised an eyebrow at Hoshi who just urged me to keep looking at the opening door.

'What could be on the other side of the entrance?' I wondered to myself and held my breath, ready to face the stranger.

Finally, someone had entered and stood right in front of me. My heart leapt as I knew that this was certainly no stranger I had faced. The two of us could only stare at each other, waiting for the other to have the guts to speak up. Not able to stand the irritating silence between us, I decided I would be the first to speak up.

"Ashitaka?" was all that came out of my mouth even though I already knew it was really him. By the look in his eyes, I could tell that he was flooded with guilt right now which made me frown, unhappy at the fact that he wasn't ecstatic to see me as I was.

Suddenly, he started approaching me, slowly moving closer towards me. I gulped inwardly, wondering what he was up to. He stopped just a few inches away from me and with outstretched arms he closed me in an embrace, just as he had done before not so long ago. "San, I can't tell you how sorry I am about that promise," he spoke confidently but with regret in his voice.

Now, I had just had about enough. Forcefully breaking out of the hug, I looked at him straight in the eye, "Idiot human!" I spat out angrily.

"San, I'm really sorry," he pleaded, desperation all over his face.

Catching him by surprise, I broke down in a hilarious fit of laughter while Hoshi let out her giggles from the sidelines. Ashitaka had a look of complete confusion on his face as he observed the out-of-the-ordinary scene before him.

"I don't get it," he shook his head in disbelief, "You're not upset with me?"

Abruptly, I stopped laughing and looked at him like he was brainless, "Of course I'm not, why should I be?"

"I broke my promise, doesn't that upset you?"

I sighed, humans are so dense, "You came into Hoshi's room last night didn't you?"

"Well, yes. Yes, I did but how'd you-".

"Wolves are very alert, you know?" I said with pride.

"Oh, I see," he murmured grimly.

Deciding that he would've had more to say, I kept quiet and waited for him to continue his explanations. Figuring he got the message, he carried on.

"So, are you ever going to forgive me?" he hopefully asked.

"No," I simply replied. Seeing the look on his face lit down, I added on, "You kept your promise last night".

He looked at me questioningly, "What?"

"Idiot!" I growled viciously with an angry expression. "Your promise was for YOU to visit ME am I not right?" I was beginning to get sick of his lame musings and self-pity.

Frightened by my sudden outburst, he gave an understanding nod. 'Good human,' I thought.

As if something had just clicked, Ashitaka finally understood what she meant, "So I guess that promise was kept."

I scoffed at his late realization, "Yeah, no kidding."

Hearing a loud cough from the behind us, we both turned to face Hoshi who waved at us. "You two are a joy to watch," she stated energetically and started to clap her hands.

Ignoring Hoshi's funny antics, I turned to Ashitaka, "Now, my mission is complete," I scanned him up and down, "I see that you are in good health." Figuring that I was no longer needed and that what I had come for had been accomplished, I headed for the door, "I should be leaving now."

Blocking my path to the exit, Ashitaka ran ahead of me and placed himself between myself and the large door. A stern look on his face with a visible hint of desperation in his eyes that I just happened to notice since wolves have far more advanced eyesight than humans.

"You can't leave yet; you just got here," he started, taking a step forward. "Please stay for a while," he pleaded.

Completely ignoring his pleas, I didn't answer back. Instead, I turned away scoffing. "It stinks here," I retorted.

His face fell after I had said that so I decided to reconsider, "On the other hand, I would like to stay for a while."

Glints of sunlight lit up his corneas as a happy smile spread across his face. "That's great!" he said with such enthusiasm similar to that of Hoshi's. Without warning, he came at me; ready to embrace me in one of his affectionate hugs.

In one swift movement, my strong right hand was flung in front of me. It collided with his chest with enough energy to cause him to stagger back in surprise. "I will stay," I began to say, brushing myself off like a broom sweeping the dirt off the ground, "That's not an excuse for you to hold me in your arms."

I grinned as I saw him turn beet, aren't I devious? Without another word, I pushed open the doors and smiled in delight. The sun greeted me with the gift of light. Accepting its warm welcome, I walked on forward with my head raised up ready to explore the world of those hideous humans.

From behind, Ashitaka and Hoshi walked up to meet me in my time of readiness. Hoshi stood in front of me and the little rascal bowed. "Honoured guest," she politely addressed me. "It would be the pleasure of me and the dashing young man to escort you on an exclusive tour of the town," with that said, she marched off like a well-disciplined soldier.

Ashitaka and I followed her through the streets of the town, allowing me some time to think things over. 'I am here,' I thought, turning to Ashitaka, 'He's with me.' Somehow, even though my goal of meeting him again was fulfilled; I still felt as if something still remained unfinished; a piece of the whole puzzle board was lost and in need of finding to complete the picture.

"Thank you," Ashitaka spoke up which broke me out of my thoughts. His face remained calm but being cunning as I was; in his eyes I saw pure happiness within them. "It was really thoughtful of you to come all this way just to visit me, San" he finished, giving a quick smile.

"You mean a lot to me, Ashitaka," I replied. Although I felt his gaze on me, I managed to keep a straight face though in my mind I knew I had a strong urge to let a smile make its way onto my face.

After that conversation, we remained quiet as Hoshi continued to lead the tour of the town. From then on, I knew that the time was coming. Yes, the time to face the creatures that I've been dreading my whole entire life - the humans...

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><p><strong>Hmm... I'm beginning to think of something...<strong>

**School's coming to slow everything down so it may be a while before something comes up again.**

**In the meantime, please review, I'd like to hear your thoughts.**

**Once again, as I've said many times... ****Thank you for reading! :)**


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